A Call for Transformation and the Demon of Resistance
The return with the elixir is the ultimate bonus earned on the hero’s journey
From the moment we arrive in this world, we have already learned that we have begun trudging through the mud bequeathed by our long-dead ancestors before we can even take our first step.
We all know myths and legends that begin with: “once upon a time, there was a person that had an okay life but felt a desire and wishes for change and adventure.”
The call asks us to follow the hero’s journey — stories of change we tell each other for inspiration, hope, and initiation. If this sounds familiar, this exact narrative template has inspired countless stories from ancient myths to modern television shows and movies.
The classical version of the hero’s journey, known as an “epic,” is often written in poetic forms, like Homer’s Odyssey. Odysseus is deemed an epic hero for his status as King of Ithaca, his partaking in the war, and his voyage home.
Today, the hero’s journey is applied in different works, from fantasy to historical fiction.
You are probably acquainted with the hero’s journey if you are a movie enthusiast. From the Lion King to the Matrix, Lord of the Rings, and Star Wars. And it’s not just used in the movies! Components of the Hero’s Journey in almost every type of storytelling media imaginable, including books.
Heroes have been around for eons, giving young kids somebody to look up to and stories showing that good can triumph over the world’s evils.
World-renowned mythology expert Joseph Campbell describes the standard heroic storyline in which a protagonist sets out, has transformative adventures, and returns home. It is a helpful formula for comparing literary traditions across time and culture.
The hero’s journey is one way to outline a novel and anatomize a plot. Stories become powerful when they engage audiences to share an adventure with the hero.
The three stages
The symbolism of the journeys is usually in triple stages. With each segment, the story moves further, linking readers and audiences with the hero with key messages.
Crossing the Threshold
Approaching the Inmost Cave
The return with the prize
It is important to note that these stages can easily mislead us into seeing the concept as representing a purely physical journey.
The hero takes a physical part on the journey to unravel a problem or achieve a goal. But the hero’s journey is as important emotionally or psychologically as it is physical. A character’s behaviors and choices in response to the journey’s stages can reveal the story’s arc or growth phases.
Daily living heroes
These stages of a hero’s journey are our stories as well. We are the heroes of our stories, with frequent advice from motivational lecturers and life coaches beckoning us to arms. To take center stage, confront life’s trials and roadblocks head-on, and emerge victorious in adversity.
Challenges generally arise from weaknesses, limitations, or lack of skill — our inability to manage or handle a situation. Because challenges expose those weaknesses, they can serve as “emotional mirrors” that allow us to see ourselves and where we need to grow or change.
It is a journey that challenges personal growth
The journey begins with a person receiving an internal call for transformation. Often the first resistance comes immediately with the call: Should I follow the call, leave my comfort zone? What do I want to change in my life? What is calling me? Sometimes people feel lost, then their heart desires to find meaning.
The Hero’s Journey is deeply rooted within the human state, telling the narrative of a person confronting a difficult life problem and their journey in answering it through change.
Universal needs drive us, the heroes of our own stories: to find love, to succeed, to right a wrong, and to seek justice, or to move to another location, another job.
These drives are connected to the Inner and Outer selves. Problems that need to be solved. And although we are confronted with reluctance, make excuses, and even have to react to events that surround us, by the journey’s end, we have become active, driven by this undying conviction to succeed.
But like most journeys, the path of the hero takes work. There is no map, no GPS. It follows no straight lines — a trip that seldom receives validation from the outside world.
Fear — demons of resistance
Fear, that almost calming fear of helplessness, can bring the mightiest to their knees.
The confrontation between the hero and the demon of resistance is the moment in the journey when the inner conflict, the disorienting dilemma, is most intense on the mental, physical, and emotional levels.
Fear is a powerful and all-consuming weapon. We fear what our next doctor’s visit might uncover if there will be enough money in our bank account when it’s time to retire, what others may or may not think about us, if our hopes and dreams will be realized, or even just what tomorrow may bring.
FDR was correct almost 90 years ago when he challenged the nation to recognize that fear is an enemy of our well-being and growth.
When fear controls and influences us, we can become so debilitated that we cannot do what we require.
Fear not only causes us to forget, but it spreads falsehood. When we are ruled by fear, we give into the lies of a predicted future that never comes to pass. That future is usually portrayed as hopeless and helpless when informed by fear.
This fear is not necessarily bad. Strength resides in our fear and even in our resistance to change. If we learn to feel our fear without letting it stop us, fear can become an ally — a sign to tell us that we must confront our dragons to get close enough to slay them.
A person who charges into a burning house to save another person is not just fearless; that person possesses the ability to overcome fear.
Researchers suggest that heroic individuals are naturally positive thinkers, which influences their ability to look beyond the urgent risk of a situation and see a more optimistic conclusion.
The return with the prize
The return with the elixir is the ultimate bonus earned on the hero’s journey. The hero has been resurrected, purified, and has earned the right to be accepted back into the ordinary world, share the Elixir of the journey, and restore the wounded land by bringing hope, life, and purpose.
But what about us? The heroes of our own stories?
We tend to view heroes as those who have formidable abilities, like the power to fly or see-through walls.
Campbell believed that we are all the heroes of our narrative. In its fundamental nature, the hero’s journey is about seeking answers and clarity and creating meaningful circumstances.
We become heroes when we are brave enough to embark on new territory and confront the unknown.
It is scary to traverse thresholds and penetrate the unfamiliar.
Yes, it can feel lonesome and cheerless. But Campbell promises us that we all must pass a threshold more than once. And once we do, we can return to our “old life” with the acquired lessons, changes, and wisdom.
Thank you sincerely for reading and sticking with me to the end.